Distance defines parenting phases

I've been a parent for enough years to call myself an expert — expert meaning I've lived, learned, and made a few mistakes (at my kids expense of course).

I do know that phases of parenthood can be defined by the distance you can safely keep from your children. Physical distance.

When our first born finally came home from the hospital, she would sleep soundly in her bassinet for hours. Yet, I would wheel that bassinet right next to the bathroom door, peeking out behind the shower curtain to sneak in a quick shower afraid to take my eyes off of her.

As she grew and made her way from crawling to walking, she could never be left unattended. With the birth of numbers two and three, it was still important to stay with them at all times, a lesson learned once as child number one attempted to submerge child number two into the bathtub head first.

As they all grew older and able to mind one another (tattling included), I found myself venturing to other rooms, away from them.

They eventually grew old enough to be outside on their own.

Many nights they are out until late into the night playing just one more round of Manhunt, leaving their father and me inside.

It's strange how that happened so fast.

One day you are peering into a crib at cooing babies trying to imagine what they will look like when they walk, and then before you know it they are walking out the door.